The Girl at SHIELD
by Darth Tromeros
Summary: Steve Rogers is just trying to fit in to the modern world. When he finds Erika, the girl who had been raised with SHIELD her whole life, he knows he's found a mentor, even a friend to help him learn. But sometimes friendships turn to love. Rated T for future events.
1. Chapter 1

Steve headed through the hallways of SHIELD, running his fingers through his hair. In his other hands he held a file with a stack of papers inside. His head swam. There was so much work to be done.

He lost his balance as he stepped down a flight of stairs, the folder teetering dangerously from as hand as he regained his poise. The file didn't, though; it fell from his hand, the contents sprawling across the ground.

Groaning softly to himself, he bent down and started scooping them up, trying to figure out what order they went in—or if they were in a specific order, for that case. As he pulled the papers towards him, a smaller hand reached over and picked them up. He glanced up and saw a young woman with light golden hair that reached the base of her shoulders. From the angle he saw her, she had a slender face. Her fingers were petite, as was her frame. She glanced up at him, revealing bright sea blue eyes. Mascara was smudged at the corners of her eyes, a few streaks on her cheeks. "Here you go," she told him softly, handing him the papers. Quickly, she stood back up and hurried up the stairs.

Feeling that something was wrong, he followed her. "Wait!" he called.

She stopped and slowly turned around. "What?" she asked, keeping her head down, acting like she was picking something from her fingernail.

"Are you okay?" He stepped closer to her.

"Yeah, fine, why do you ask?" She still stared down at her feet.

Hesitantly, he held her chin in one hand and tilted her head up a little. Around her irises were bloodshot. She sniffled a little. "You have something on your cheek," he told her.

She yanked her face away, wiping at her face with her sleeve. "Thanks," she murmured, heading away from him again.

"Wait," he said again.

"Yes?" She didn't bother to turn around this time.

"What's your name?"

Peeking over her shoulder, he saw a small grin take over her lips. "Erika," she told him.

He grinned. "I like that name," he told her. "I'm Steve—"

"Rogers. I've seen you before." She rotated her body completely around. "My parents, uh, work for SHIELD," she told him. "I've been around this place for as long as I can remember."

"Really?" He glanced around. "Maybe you can help me with my work sometime." He waved the file.

Her tiny smirk turned into a full smile. "I wouldn't mind that at all," she told him. "I usually have nothing to do anyway."

"Why haven't I seen you before?" he asked suddenly.

Her smile faded a little. "Um, I've been staying with other relatives the past few years."

Steve cocked his head to one side. "How long will you be here?"

"I should be here to stay for a year or so," she answered. Her eyes darted away from him and back to the file. "So, when should I come help you?"

Steve focused back on the file. "Oh, whenever's best for you."

"I can come this afternoon. Four?"

He grinned. "Sure."

Smiling back, she said, "Okay, then. I'm going to go run some minor errands. I'll see you at four in, say, the conference room that's always empty?"

He nodded. She waved at him and headed down the steps, leaving Steve to watch her as she left. Something fluttered inside of him, causing him to jerk his head back to the file. He opened it and thumbed through the papers, thinking of their meeting this afternoon. Maybe this would help him. Maybe he could make some more acquaintances—friends, even.

Grinning softly to himself, he looked once more back at her before turning to leave.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve drummed his fingers on the table. His chin rested in his other hand, his elbow on the table as he waited for four o'clock. Nothing needed to be done but the files. Guessing he needed to eat lunch, he stood up and stretched, heading towards the cafeteria.

As he walked through the hallways, he heard someone say, "Hey, Steve."

He turned around to see Natasha. "Hello, Natasha," he said, smiling. "I'm just getting something to eat."

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, combing her fingers through her hair. "I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning."

"You must be starved."

"Famished," she murmured, stepping forward.

"Where have you been at all morning?"

"The gym," she said, adjusting her belt now. "Same as last night."

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Five whole hours." She gave a small grin. "I've never been one to sleep."

"I wasn't either," Steve started, "but I'm pretty sure I hold a record now."

Natasha suppressed a smile, not sure if he was still sensitive over the whole ordeal. They rounded the corner, the cafeteria straight across from them. Entering, they grabbed their trays and headed towards the lunch line.

"So, anything new going on with you?" Natasha asked, putting something on her plate.

"I'm meeting up with some worker at four. She's going to help explain the files SHIELD give us to me."

"Oh, that's nice. What's her name?"

"Erika. I've never seen her around before. She says she's been around her whole life."

"Oh, Erika." Natasha said it in a plain tone.

"Is there something bad about her?"

Natasha glanced up at him. "Not at all. She's just always been very shy. I'm a few years older than her. Her parents were agents here. She's never been trained for field missions; I think she'll just stick around research and stuff."

Steve nodded, paying and heading away from the line. Natasha followed him soon after. "I wish I knew how to talk to women," he said, grabbing some utensils.

"I could help you," Natasha suggested.

He glanced over at her. "You would do that?"

Natasha smiled. "Of course. You're my friend. I want you to get to know other people. It'll be good for the both of you."

Smiling as well, he sat down at a table. She sat in a seat across from him. Picking up her fork, she asked him, "So, what else are you doing?"

He swallowed the bite he took. "Nothing, really."

"I was thinking of another movie marathon Friday night." She smiled as she swallowed.

"Oh, yes!" Steve said. "That got hilarious when Clint and Tony had the drinking contest!"

"My point exactly." She brushed hair out of her face. "I'll ask everybody else."

"Great." He grinned.

They ate their lunch in silence, Steve's mind whirring. What was he supposed to ask Natasha to say to Erika? He knew it wasn't like a date or anything; it was simply just a meeting to discuss work, but what if they trailed off topic? Hopefully with Erika being that shy it would stay on work only; but he knew you couldn't be too prepared.

"I'm going to go work out again," Natasha told him as she finished her salad. "If you need anything, you know where I'll be. If I'm not there, I've gone to do my own paperwork."

He nodded. "Okay then. Thanks Natasha for offering to help me out."

She smiled. "No problem. It's worth helping someone like you."

Biting his lip, he looked down at this plate and moved some of the food with his fork. He thought of meeting Erika and sighed. He didn't know why he was fretting so much; it was a simple work meeting.

He thought of her bright blue eyes and smiled softly to himself. He had to admit he was looking forward to it but was nervous at the same time. He scolded himself for being so obsessed with it; it was just for work and that was all.

But he thought of her face one last time and wondered if he wanted something more.


End file.
